Seoul Arts Center seeks global resonance with new English opera

Home > Entertainment > Music & Performance

Seoul Arts Center seeks global resonance with new English opera

Published: 13 May. 2025, 19:00 Updated: 16 May. 2025, 17:15

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Mezzo soprano Kim Jung-mi, left, and tenor Robin Tritschler practice during a rehearsal of "The Rising World: Spirit of Water" at the Seoul Arts Center on May 13. [YONHAP]

An English-language opera “The Rising World: Spirit of Water,” which blends Korean folklore with Western tradition, is getting ready for its world premiere at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul. The production is the state-run arts center's first fully self-produced opera and its first work written entirely in English.

Set to premiere on May 25, the opera explores the mystical power of water through a story centered on a sick princess and a water clock artisan. A master artisan lifts a cloth from a wooden cart, revealing the inner components of a water clock.

“This is how we imagine time,” she says, inviting a curious apprentice — played by tenor Robin Tritschler — to take a closer look during the opening scene of the new opera that marks a milestone for the Seoul Arts Center.

Reporters were invited to a rehearsal preview on Tuesday, where the opening five-minute scene revealed a delicate fusion of piano melodies and the mezzo-soprano voice of Kim Jung-mi, who plays the water clock master.

A poster for “The Rising World: Spirit of Water,” an English original-production opera by the Seoul Arts Center [SEOUL ARTS CENTER]

“In order to revitalize the opera genre, we introduced the ‘Seoul Arts Center Opera Gala’ (2022), ‘Norma’ (2023), and ‘Otello’ (2024),” the center’s representatives said during the press rehearsal preview. “This ‘The Rising World: Spirit of Water’ is also an extension of the plan.”

Unlike previous works, “The Rising World: Spirit of Water” was planned and produced directly by the Seoul Arts Center, from the script to the music, and it is significant in that it is the center’s first English opera.

The work is set in a mysterious kingdom where unusual, water-related phenomena begin to occur. As a young princess falls gravely ill, a legendary water clock maker is summoned to unravel the mystery and restore balance.

Mezzo soprano Kim Jung-mi, left, and soprano Hwang Su-mi, right, speak during a press rehearsal preview of ″The Rising World: Spirit of Water″ at Seoul Arts Center on May 13. [SEOUL ARTS CENTER]

Distinctly Korean elements — including the water clock and mulgwishin, or water spirits — form the symbolic heart of the opera. Breaking from opera’s traditionally male-centered canon, both the artisan and the princess are portrayed by women.

“The opera explores the relationship between humans and nature through the lens of water,” said soprano Hwang Su-mi, who plays the princess.

Mezzo-soprano Kim Jung-mi added, “The story isn’t just about two women — it’s about a generational shift, as the weight of society moves from the older to the younger.”

Australian composer Mary Finsterer, known for blending classical and contemporary idioms, wrote the music.

Australian composer Mary Finsterer, who wrote the music for ″The Rising World: Spirit of Water,″ speaks during a press rehearsal preview of ″The Rising World: Spirit of Water″ at Seoul Arts Center on May 13. [NEWS1]

When writing for this production, Finsterer studied Korean culture and was struck by the powerful role water plays in stories of gods and spirits, she said. Water will be expressed musically through percussion and instruments like the waterphone, with orchestration designed to feel fluid and ever-flowing, according to the composer.

Visual art will also be part of the experience: 30 minutes before curtain, a digital artwork titled “Starry Beach,” created in collaboration with Arte Museum, will be projected.

“We wanted to explore what it would mean to present opera — a genre usually performed in Italian or German — in English,” said Suh Kounee, head of performing arts at the Seoul Arts Center. “Our goal is to create a production that resonates globally.”

The opera incorporates Asian elements like the geomungo — a traditional Korean instrument — while blending English with Korean and Latin to broaden accessibility.

Producers and cast of ″The Rising World: Spirit of Water″ speak during a press rehearsal preview of ″The Rising World: Spirit of Water″ at Seoul Arts Center on May 13. [SEOUL ARTS CENTER]

Plans are underway to stage “The Rising World: Spirit of Water” internationally by 2027 or 2028, with discussions ongoing with venues including Taiwan’s National Taichung Theater, the Sydney Opera House and Tokyo’s New National Theatre.

The production is directed by Stephen Carr, who previously worked with the center on concert operas “Turandot” (2017) and “Lucia di Lammermoor” (2020). Conductor Steven Osgood of the Metropolitan Opera leads the National Symphony Orchestra, with the NOI Opera Chorus providing vocals.

The opera runs for 140 minutes, including a 20-minute intermission, and will be staged three times at the Seoul Arts Center Opera House on May 25, 29 and 31.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY CHOI HYE-RI [[email protected]]